Forging of signatures, providing false information and financial misapprociation count amongst the many irregularities that led to the suspension of Namibia Schools Sport Union (NSSU), national coordinator Solly Duiker said yesterday.
Duiker, the union’s long-serving honcho, early this month led a delegation of over 260 athletes to Potchefstroom, South Africa, on a trip to participate in the Confederation of Southern African Schools Sport Associations (Cosassa) Games, which never took place.
Team Namibia arrived to an empty stadium and with no other participating countries in sight at the venue. The NSSU and government paid over N$430 000 for the disastrous trip.
Yesterday, the NSSU board called a press conference during which they announced that preliminary investigations into the trip were conducted and found Duiker guilty of misleading the NSSU board about the Cosassa Games by providing false information, and making the NSSU pay for meals and accommodation of athletes for an event that was never going to take place.
The board also said Duiker falsely used the letterhead and signatory powers of Cosassa to extend an invitation to the NSSU without the authorisation of Cosassa, which amounts to forgery and identity theft, the board said.
Red flags were also raised why Duiker chose a sole supplier for Team Namibia’s attire to the failed games , not; something the board said leaves a lot of questions on financial prudence. The above charges, amongst others, led to his indefinite suspension yesterday.
“We called this press conference to clarify our participation in the Cosassa Games in Potchefstroom, South Africa. The national council of the NSSU resolved to suspend Solomon Duiker with immediate effect, and further investigations will be launched against him and that process will determine what’s the way forward. Going forward, all queries relating to NSSU will resort under the national chairperson,” said NSSU board chairperson Teofilius Nuugulu.
“While we were there, we did not receive any formal communication from any Cosassa official and that’s why we were left wondering what’s happening. We got hold of one gentleman from the local organising committee but the information provided to us by him was not satisfactory.”
“There were no programmes of the event in South Africa, but when we left the country, we had the programme, which showed every single activity at the event. With all that, we became suspicious and we had to ask Duiker to explain,” fumed Nuugulu.
He said the ongoing investigations will determine if all the money paid for meals and accommodation will be recovered or not. They have also engaged the Namibian Police to help with that process.
“That’s part of our investigation and we need to engage the arm of the law to help us in doing that; that money has to be recovered.”
Cosassa elbows Duiker
Meanwhile, Cosassa also suspended Duiker from its executive committee.
“The executive committee in its virtual meeting held on 18 October 2022 took a decision to suspend you from office with immediate effect until further notice. The suspension is in line with article 15.13 of the constitution. It has been noted with records that you over-excised your powers as the president and contravened the constitution,” reads the letter addressed to Duiker.
Efforts to get comment from Duiker proved futile by the time of going to print yesterday.
- mkambukwe@nepc.com.na